Protective glove with improved coiled wrist strap

ABSTRACT

A protective glove includes a glove portion made of mesh material, a wrist portion also made of mesh material, and an elastic element attached to the wrist portion in the form of a coiled spring wider than it is thick to improve comfort.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to protective gloves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Protective gloves and garments made of metal mesh material are used bybutchers and meat packers and also other industries where there is arisk of cuts or punctures or the like.

Since the mesh gloves are inherently flexible but also fairly heavy,they tend to hang from the user's hand and would fall off but for asecuring strap. Various types of straps have been developed to securethe glove about the user's wrist and/or forearm.

The prior art, however, discloses a number of often unsuitable straps.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,250,150 shows a helical coil strap joinedto the mesh portion of the glove; U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,123 shows the useof a spring as a glove stiffening elements; U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,495shows a cuff enclosing a strap with a fastener; and PCT/EP95/04040 showsthe use of a helical spring as a strap inside the cuff portion of theglove. All of these patents are hereby incorporated herein by thisreference.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,833, also incorporated herein by this reference, andby the applicant hereof, discloses an improved strap in the form of acontinuous, flat, flexible band inside a cuff formed in the gloveproviding a more comfortable wrist closure element. The '833 patentnotes that the helical spring of the '150 patent can result in anuncomfortable and gangly appearing glove.

The benefit of a coiled spring type closure element, however, is the lowcost and ease of assembly. In this application, those benefits arerealized by employing, not a round coiled spring which is uncomfortableand gangly in appearance, but a coiled spring which is much wider thanit is thick resulting in improved comfort and a neater finishedappearance.

Another problem with the prior art is the difficulty of the userascertaining the size of the glove. Trying on a number of gloves to findthe correct size is inefficient. In this invention, that inefficiency isovercome.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a closure elementfor a glove which need not be coupled or decoupled from about thewearer's wrist.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a closureelement which is more comfortable than prior art helical spring typeclosure elements.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a closureelement which has a neat and finished appearance.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a closureelement which is infinitely adjustable.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a closureelement which has a longer useful life when compared to many prior artclosure elements.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a closureelement which makes it easier for the user to ascertain the correct sizeof the glove.

The invention results from the realization that a more comfortable andeasy to manufacture closure element for a mesh glove which also has aneat and finished appearance is effected by a coiled spring which ismuch wider than it is thick and which can optionally be color coded toindicate to the user the size of the glove.

This invention features a protective glove comprising a glove portionmade of mesh material, a wrist portion also made of mesh material, andan elastic element attached to the wrist portion in the form of a coiledspring wider than it is thick to improve comfort.

In the preferred embodiment, the coiled spring is at least twice as wideas it is thick and each coil of the coiled spring extends parallel tothe glove portion for the width of the coiled spring and then turnsperpendicular to the glove portion for the thickness of the coiledspring. Typically, the turns of each coil are rounded.

In one example, there are between 9 and 11 coils per inch, the width ofeach coil is between 0.5 and 1 inches, and the thickness of each coil isbetween 0.2 and 0.3 inches.

The coiled spring is preferably made of metal and the ends of the coiledspring are welded together. Typically, the coils of the coiled springextend through the terminal links of the wrist portion of the glove.

Also, in an optional embodiment, the coiled spring is color codedwherein different colors indicate different size gloves. Preferably, thecoiled spring is color coded with a coating that complies with the FDA'sCFR title 21 section 175.300.

In another embodiment, the glove includes a forearm portion and alsoincludes a second elastic element attached thereto in the form of acoiled spring wider than it is thick to improve comfort. Typically, thefirst coiled spring is attached to the wrist portion on one end thereofand attached to the forearm portion on the other end thereof.

This invention also features a glove portion made of metal meshmaterial, a wrist portion also made of metal mesh material, and anelastic element attached to the wrist portion in the form of a coiledspring at least twice as wide as it is thick and wherein each coilextends parallel to the glove portion for the width of the coiled springand then turns perpendicular to the glove portion in a rounded mannerfor the thickness of the coiled spring to improve comfort.

One protective glove in accordance with this invention includes a gloveportion made of metal mesh material, a wrist portion also made of metalmesh material, and an elastic element attached to the wrist portion inthe form of a coiled spring wider than it is thick to improve comfortand color coded to indicate the size of the glove.

Another protective glove in accordance with this invention features aglove portion made of metal mesh material, a wrist portion also made ofmetal mesh material, a forearm portion, an elastic closure elementattached to the wrist portion in the form of a coiled spring wider thanit is thick to improve comfort, and another elastic element attached tothe distal end of the forearm portion also in the form of a coiledspring wider than it is thick to improve comfort.

Still another protective glove includes a glove portion, a wristportion, and an elastic closure element for the wrist portion colorcoded to indicate the size of the glove. Preferably, the elastic closureelement is in the form of a coiled spring wider than it is thick toimprove comfort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled inthe art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the back of an example of aprotective glove in accordance with the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the front of the protective gloveshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the width portion of the coiledspring closure element of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial view showing one coil of the coiled springclosure element of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic depiction of another protective glove including aforearm portion in accordance with the subject invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a protective glove in accordance withthe subject invention where the elastic closure element is color codedto indicate the size of the glove.

DISCLOSURE OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, thisinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orbeing carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangements of components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings.

In one example, protective glove 10, FIGS. 1-2, in accordance with thesubject invention, includes glove portion 12 preferably made ofstainless steel metal mesh material and wrist portion 14 also preferablymade of stainless steel metal mesh material. Elastic element 16 isattached to wrist portion 14 as shown and is in the form of a metalcoiled spring wider than it is thick to improve wearer comfort.

Preferably, coiled spring 16 is at least twice as wide as it is thick(e.g., between 0.5 and 1 inches wide and between 0.2 and 0.3 inchesthick). In the preferred embodiment, there are between 9 and 11 coilsper inch and angle α, FIG. 4 is between 8.0 and 9.0 degrees. In oneexample, the spring was 0.71 inches wide, 0.23 inches thick, and α was8.5°. Also, for better comfort, it is preferred that the turns of eachcoil 18 are rounded as shown in FIG. 3. The ends of coiled spring 16 aretypically welded to together as shown at 20, in FIG. 2 after manuallyspiraling the spring closure element through the terminal links or rings22 of metal mesh wrist portion 14 (see also FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 4, each coil 18 extends parallel to the glove portionwhich is the plane defined by the page of FIG. 4. Thus, the width of thecoiled spring closure element is parallel to the glove. Each coil 18then turns in a rounded manner perpendicular to the plane of the glovedefining the thickness of the coiled spring closure element.

FIG. 5 shows glove 10′ with glove portion 12, wrist portion 14, firstcoiled spring element 16 a, forearm portion 30, and second coiled springelement 16 b. Typically, coiled spring 16 b has the same configurationas coiled spring 16 a: that is, coiled spring closure element 16 b ismuch wider than it is thick. Coiled spring closure element 16 a, on oneend, is attached to the rings of wrist portion 14 and, on the other end,is attached to the rings of forearm portion 30. Alternatively, a bangletype mechanism could be used in place of second coiled spring element 16b.

In the preferred embodiment, coiled spring closure element 16′, FIG. 6(or coiled springs 16 a and/or 16 b, FIG. 5) are color coded using acoating that complies with FDA regulation 21 CFR §175.300. In oneexample, yellow is used to denote an extra-extra-small glove, greydenotes an extra small glove, white denotes a small glove, red denotes amedium size glove, blue denotes a large glove, green denotes an extralarge glove, and black denotes an extra-extra-large glove. Colors couldalso be used to denote the type of glove (full or thumb and two fingertype gloves) and/or left or right hand gloves.

The result is an improved closure element for a mesh glove which doesnot need to be adjusted prior to use, which does not need to be coupledor decoupled from about the wearer's wrist, which is more comfortablethan prior art helical spring type closure elements, which is neat andfinished in appearance, which is infinitely adjustable, and which has along useful life. When the closure element is color coded as set forthabove, users can readily determine the correct size and/or type glovefor their needs.

Although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawingsand not in others, this is for convenience only as each feature may becombined with any or all of the other features in accordance with theinvention. For example, the innovations disclosed in the '123 and '833patents may be incorporated in the gloves of the subject disclosure. Thewords “including”, “comprising”, “having”, and “with” as used herein areto be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to anyphysical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in thesubject application are not to be taken as the only possibleembodiments. For example, gloves with only a thumb and no fingers andgloves with a thumb and only one or two fingers are also possibleembodiments.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are withinthe following claims:

1. A protective glove comprising: a glove portion made of mesh material;a wrist portion also made of mesh material; and an elastic elementattached to the wrist portion in the form of a coiled spring wider thanit is thick to improve comfort.
 2. The protective glove of claim 1 inwhich the coiled spring is at least twice as wide as it is thick.
 3. Theprotective glove of claim 1 in which each coil of the coiled springextends parallel to the glove portion for the width of the coiled springand then turns perpendicular to the glove portion for the thickness ofthe coiled spring.
 4. The protective glove of claim 3 in which the turnof each coil is rounded.
 5. The protective glove of claim 1 in whichthere are between 9 and 11 coils per inch.
 6. The protective glove ofclaim 5 in which the width of each coil is between 0.5 and 1 inches andthe thickness of each coil is between 0.2 and 0.3 inches.
 7. Theprotective glove of claim 1 in which the coiled spring is made of metal.8. The protective glove of claim 1 in which the ends of the coiledspring are welded together.
 9. The protective glove of claim 1 in whichthe coils of the coiled spring extend through the terminal links of thewrist portion of the glove.
 10. The protective glove of claim 1 in whichthe coiled spring is color coded wherein different colors indicatedifferent size gloves.
 11. The protective glove of claim 7 in which thecoiled spring is color coded with a colored coating that complies withthe 21 CFR §175.300.
 12. The protective glove of claim 1 furtherincluding a forearm portion.
 13. The protective glove of claim 12 inwhich the forearm portion also includes an elastic element attachedthereto in the form of a coiled spring wider than it is thick to improvecomfort.
 14. The protective glove of claim 13 in which one coiled springis attached to the wrist portion on one end thereof and attached to theforearm portion on the other end thereof.
 15. A protective glovecomprising: a glove portion made of metal mesh material; a wrist portionalso made of metal mesh material; and an elastic element attached to thewrist portion in the form of a coiled spring at least twice as wide asit is thick and wherein each coil extends parallel to the glove portionfor the width of the coiled spring and then turns perpendicular to theglove portion in a rounded manner for the thickness of the coiled springto improve comfort.
 16. A protective glove comprising: a glove portionmade of metal mesh material; a wrist portion also made of metal meshmaterial; and an elastic element attached to the wrist portion in theform of a coiled spring wider than it is thick to improve comfort andcolor coded to indicate the size of the glove.
 17. A protective glovecomprising: a glove portion made of metal mesh material; a wrist portionalso made of metal mesh material; a forearm portion; an elastic closureelement attached to the wrist portion in the form of a coiled springwider than it is thick to improve comfort; and another elastic elementattached to the distal end of the forearm portion also in the form of acoiled spring wider than it is thick to improve comfort.
 18. Aprotective glove comprising: a glove portion; a wrist portion; and anelastic closure element for the wrist portion color coded to indicatethe size of the glove.
 19. The protective glove of claim 18 in which theelastic closure element is in the form of a coiled spring wider than itis thick to improve comfort.
 20. The protective glove of claim 18 inwhich the glove and wrist portions are made of metal mesh material.